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Aug 15, 2007:
The South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA)'s focus on professional education and training will receive a firm boost this week with the appointment of respected Professor Francois Viruly to the board of directors.
Viruly is a professor in property studies at the School of Construction Economics and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and he also holds the Pareto Chair of Property Studies at Wits.
"The appointment of Viruly dovetails with SAPOA's ongoing commitment to providing education and training programmes to the commercial and industrial property industry," says Neil Gopal, CEO of SAPOA.
Viruly has been involved with SAPOA for many years, serving both on the Gauteng Provincial Committee and on the Education, Training and Development Committee, adds Gopal.
Education and professional development are pivotal parts of SAPOA's mandate. The association runs the industry's flagship Property Development Programme (PDP) every year, as well as other focused professional courses, like the Basic Property Programme (BPP) and the year-long Certificate for the Commercial Property Practitioner (CCPP).
Another aspect of SAPOA's education focus is targeted workshops and short courses, offered on a range of topics from property economics and property law, to asset management and property finance.
"SAPOA will also be playing a more proactive role in promoting the property sector as an exciting career. One of SAPOA's stated aims is to enable wider participation in the industry through education programmes," says Gopal.
"Professor Viruly will help us to achieve just that.
"SAPOA is aware of the critical role which industry training initiatives can play in transforming the sector and meeting the set property transformation charter targets."
Commenting on Viruly's appointment, Marna van der Walt, president of SAPOA, says it is indicative of the industry's desire to both develop its skills base while opening the sector to a greater diversity of South Africans.
"The skills shortage faced by industry in general is affecting the property sector - there is a dire need for more skills in the property industry, particularly as our industry continues to grow. For this expansion to be sustainable, we need to increase both our foundation and levels of education and training.
"SAPOA is well aware of this, and Viruly's appointment is another step in our campaign of industry training."
